please empty your brain below

Apple pie is just a pudding.

"the World Series": sports competition to decide who is best at a sport the the rest of the "world" could not care less about

There's Spring Break, too. Though I don't mind that so much.

The "Den" where every American male must have his trophies from high school, college and annual fishing trips and is off limits to all females in the house.

They seem to do year books at some private schools in the UK, but then, I expect the sad deluded parents paying the extortionate fees want *something* too keep as a momento!

Mrs.Planarchy used to have American colleagues who couldn't believe we didn't celebrate Thanksgiving.

"What for?" she would ask, "To give thanks for getting rid of you?"

Fair point I think.

"Varsity". I've no idea what this means, but I've heard of it.

Annette Funicello - don't know who she was, but the Yanks keep referring to her.

Sororities and Fraternities... bizarre members club/university halls of residence hybrid? Or something more sinister?

I got a yearbook at the end of sixth year (sixth form for you English folk ), but not every year.

They have started to have Proms in the UK (and I'm not talking about the Albert Hall concerts). My friend's neighbour's daughter cost her £400 with dress, hair and nails and share of a limo hire.

Election Primaries. What?

How about Trick or Treat? I know it originated in Scotland/Ireland, but it is now an American commercial festival.

The Super Bowl. Velveeta. Decent Mexican food.

Prom's never on the last day of school, but happens in the Spring.. Junior high is year 7-8, so kids are 12-14. Yearbooks are more important in high school than college. Not everyone plays Little League, some play Pop Warner. Others get beat up.

Turkey's going in the oven at 2pm. Pies are already baked (pumpkin and apple) and stuffing is alomst done.

Another load of Brits get their first thanksgiving in Marylebone this afternoon. It's one of my favorite holidays ... especially without all the family bickering (that's another American tradition).

"Graduation" - apparently from education at 18?!

"Going to 'school'" - they appear to mean university

"Homecoming Queen" - no idea

"The DA's Office".

I suspect its like our much loved Criminal Prosecution Service, but I've heard it so often over the years without actually questioning it.

Pillow days, are they days when you can call work and say that you will not be coming into office as your pillow is too comfotable? Or is that just in my dreams!

Calling your dad "sir".

You forgot "Black Friday". It's the day after Thanksgiving, and the biggest shopping day of the year. The stores all open by 0600. They have special bargains on expensive items, but in limited quantites so shoppers start lining up hours before the stores actually open.

The date comes second - not a recommendation.

The american habit of putting dates in the wrong order - mm/dd/yy. 9/11? whats so special about November the 9th?

Confirmation (I think)? I got a card from some American friends once saying that there daughter was going through some sort of ceremony beginning with a C. I think it was a veiled hint to send some money.

Hey! I was born in the US, have lived here 49 years, and I STILL don't understand most of this stuff either!
Oh, and you forgot NASCAR --a redneck sport where hoards of disgusting smelly, sweaty people pay money to sit in the hot sun and watch noisy racecars go round and round and round in circles, wasting petrol and polluting the planet further. I hear it's the fastest-growing "sport" here.
Oh, rats, I dropped my flag in the bowl of Chex Mix...Honey, where's the remote? Oooo, watch the beer, watch the beer! HONEEEYYY I can't watch the Thanksgiving Day parade and the game without the remote! WHERE'S THE REMOTE!! It's not still writing all of this down is it? How do you turn these dictophone thingys off? I can't find the switch! There must be a fu

When I was at school in America, thanksgiving was great. For no real reason, you got a day off. And the food was really nice. I still miss cornbread.

You're also missing cheerleaders from your list.

Trunks are something elephants have, not cars, hoods are worn by youths hanging around street corners, I have no idea who, what, or where "the projects" are and as for Americans asking for a bathroom or restroom...

Spud, don't you know what is so special about November 9th - 9/11 ? Shame on you! It is a day that the world changed forever. Its a day the political map changed for ever. It is a day that NATO had to rethink its fundamental defence strategy. It is a day that changed the relationship between east and west.

It featured a construction in one of the major cities in the world tumbling down.

9/11/1989 was the night the Berlin wall came down.

Also happens to be the day the first world war ended. A very special day, in Germany anyway.

Be careful,
For instance
I know that when Brits use to travel by ship everything must have been packed in a steamer boot because when they put it on the back of a motor!?!? they called it a boot , in north america it was a steamer trunk so when we put one on the back of a automobile we called it a trunk.

cheese rolling (england) bog snorkeling (wales) and urinal surfing (scotland) are three activites that thankfully have not traveled from your myopic shores

The First World War did not end on the 9th November. The Kaiser abdicated on the 9th, armistace was on the 11th and the war ended in June 1919 with the Treaty of Versailles.

What's wrong with cricket?

Thanksgiving.... almost as quirky as spending a week shooting fireworks and getting drunk to celebrate the execution by bonfire of a catholic rebel.

The War Against Tourism and 'nu color' weapons. I have no objection to tourists, or to people changing the colour of their weapons, but apparently Iran and North Korea are not allowed either of them. Could someone ask that nice Mr Bush why?

Brant, it depends on your point of view; some of us are celebrating the plot itself, not the foiling of it. (I know, I know, glorifying terrorism....whatever!)

All I know is that if it wasn't for the US, then we'd all be speaking German over here. And for that I will always be eternally grateful. ;o)

And as anyone who has ever worked for an american company will know, Thanksgiving is just about the only time when a British employee can relax and ignore their inbox.

Thanksgiving is the one day of the year when the gastronomical delights of turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes and cranberry are all combined on the same plate... along with pumpkin pie.

Oddly it seems like the only really appropriate day of the year when all the above might be tasted all together. The same meal tastes wrong any other time of the year.

The best part is that it's a predictable 4 day weekend... since we workaholic americans now only take an average of 6 days holiday a year I think, compared to the 35 days taken by the germans and french.

Thanksgiving is the one holiday that recalls the Puritan culture that still remain as the basic underpinning of american culture.

Station wagons

Soceer moms

Suspenders (hold men's trousers up)

Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches

Ballparks

Summer camp

Buddy (for mate)


the list goes on...

City Slicker
http://www.cityslicker1.blogspot.com

"All I know is that if it wasn't for the US, then we'd all be speaking German over here"

I don't think so. With the exception of the Alsace and possibly other areas actually bordering Germany and therefore considered by Hitler to be part of the fatherland, there appeared to be absolutely no desire by the Third Reich to make any occupied country speak German. Certainly it did not happen in the Channel Islands and I do not recall any evidence of it in their plans for occupation - which were extremely detailed and would not have overlooked such an issue.

"All I know is that if it wasn't for the US, then we'd all be speaking German over here."

Randomaniac: Yawn. Such statements are not only predictable but old and easily rebutted.

It also woefully ignores the massive contribution from the Soviet Army, as well as the British, the Commonwealth Nations, the Polish Free Army and - hell - even the Free French Army in winning the war in Europe. America made a huge contribution, but the allies would've eventually won anyway.

Its also said by 'some' that the Americans almost ended up more heavily involved with the German language than they realise.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Fre...rick\\_Muhlenberg


Honestly, you nip onto Diamond Geezers blog to a get a nice taste of home:

Something about the tube, some cool unknown museum tucked away in the east of london, or having a pop at the congestion charge ... and all I get is a complete reminder of everything I've been ranting about recently!

I've been here 6 months now, and every week there are still new word in the vocabulary - either things that they do which I've never heard of, or things that I say that they don't understand. heeeelllpp!

Remind me, what is this *thing* called 'America'?

Pastels. Acid wash. Toyota Camrys. Hair metal. Adverts that slag off competing products by name. Infomercials. Cinnamon (uuugh). Peanut butter in everything (even worse!). Being expected to eat lunch at 11 in the morning and dinner at 5 in the afternoon. All that cattle history but the dairy products taste like shit. Boston clam chowder (mmm). 29-cent tacos at Del Taco (c1992). In N' Out Burger, El Pollo Loco. At KFC they give you a SCONE instead of chips!! How unnatural is that?! Pumpkin pie (great but impossible to find in the UK - why?!)

Degrassi is Canadian!
And did you know that the Pledge of Allegiance used to be performed with a straight-arm salute? Went out of fashion in the 1930s...

Excellent. The best ones have gone but as geofftech says there are literally thousands of these in every day life. No ones mentioned (I think) College Sports, Back Yard, Condos, The War on Terror and my two favourites 'erbs and fillet (with a slient t) and said in the best French accent one can do without actually knowing where it is on a world map..... You mean there's a world.....

and why is a main course called an entree?

Trash

What about the drive-in, too cold in UK for that!

I live in San Francisco and I barely get any of this stuff either.

As for the pledge, saying it is no more emotional here than over there.

I like pumpkin pie. I don't care for turkey. I dont much care for pilgrims either.

That is strange that the main course is called the entree!

The ONLY american television worth watching anyways is the Daily Show with Jon Stewart.

I'm an x-yank living Down Under. My mate's Yankee girlfriend is making a Tofurky for Thanksgiving...I had to say that bloody Pledge of Allegience every day in Primary School. I still know it now by heart...31 years old. They never even explained what it meant. It was just this insidious propaganda that actually had no meaning as kids spent all their time trying to remember the big words, therefore missing the whole meaning! Hey, help us out will ya?

A Questionnaire for Popular Bloggers,

As you’ve been either a recipient or a candidate for a blogging award I must assume that your blog is quite popular. At my blog www.blogspoke.com I have just written a post that has a questionnaire relating to the topic ‘Why I blog’ and I thought it would be pertinent to get some insight from the minds of those who obviously have put a lot of effort into their blogging experience. The post can be found at http://www.blogspoke.com/page/
bl...ou\\_re\\_a\\_blogger
.

If you can answer the ten easy questions (in the Comments link) that would be great, but if you could take the time to really let my readers know what you think about blogging (from your heart, mind, and soul) that would be appreciated immensely. We look forward to hearing about what inspires you to make those little ‘ticking’ noises on your keyboard, and on what makes your brain ‘tick’.

Sincerely,
Jesse S. Somer

Proms and yearbooks are common here, not just in private schools but the state ones as well. (UK that is). But what about pavement being where you drive your car and sidwalk for pedestrians?

As for the pledge, saying it is no more emotional here than over there.

Yes, but the pledge doesn't exist at all outside America (and possibly places like North Korea).

Some schools, but increasingly now only the RC ones, insisted on prayer every morning at assembly. Of course this will have been replaced by generic noncultural worship where it remains but still remain a half hearted affair for all but a few kids.

What are the 'biscuits' that Americans seem to have with gravy on them?!

You mean American television has culturally specific references in it, how shocking!! Clearly American television should be culturally neutral so it can be completely understood by everyone in Bahrain, that is if they actually watched it or could understand English. And certainly understanding or appreciating a different culture is something to be discouraged. Luckily nothing on BBC (Little Britain) is culturally relevant only to the people indigenous to the country where it is made.

BTW what's a council house, cuppa, hoodie, wicket, Noel Edmunds, Routemaster, Oyster card, congestion charge (you have to pay something if you get sick?), circle line, pudding, Doctor Who, crisp, pint (of what?) crystal palace, Pans people, posh and/or becks, gherkin, slag, kerfuffle....

Concerning yearbooks, we never had anything like that, thank goodness -- imagine all that crap about the person most likely to ... -- but we did have a 6th form class photo, which my sister managed to find and send to me a couple of months back. And DG is spot on; this is 1977 we are talking about and the haircuts -- more hairdos really -- were something to make you weep. My wife, who was only born in '70, and in Taiwan to boot so missed out on this era, nearly ruptured herself laughing.











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